Something's Gotta Give
by everlarkcheesebuns
Summary: I said I wasn't going to fall for anyone here. I have to stay focused. When I make the mistake of looking back into her eyes, I know that's not going to happen. Damn, I'm fucked. Modern AU
1. Chapter 1 - Peeta's POV

**Wednesday - August 27, 2014**

'_Algebra_, Dr. Abernathy, Room 125'

_Great, _I think to myself. _Of course my first class would be the one I hate the most. _

As I walk through the campus, I let my mind drift. This is what I've worked for my entire life. The sleepless nights and extra hours of studying had finally paid off; this is my dream school, the University of Pennsylvania. I stop to take in my surroundings – the quotes and statues of Benjamin Franklin, the students panicking trying to find their way to class, and the familiar sweet aroma of bread and pastries coming from our local café.

I look over my schedule once more to make sure I've fully committed it to memory. Once I'm satisfied, I resume walking to my first class.

Anxiety flows through the course of my veins as I walk into the building. As soon as I push through the door, I'm immediately surrounded by students hugging and conversing with each other, obviously having met before. _That's what I get for not attending the orientation._ I look down to take in my attire – a navy blue blazer with a matching button down, beige khakis, dress shoes, and bookbag – and give myself a nod of approval. I'm snapped back into reality when I hear footsteps approaching me.

"Hey, I'm Finnick," the tall, bronze haired man says before aggressively shaking my hand.

I give him a curt nod in response. "Peeta."

I'm taken aback when he leans in so close that our faces are almost touching and whispers, "Just a heads up, Haymitch can be a real prick."

I shake my head and smile at his comment. _Of course the first professor I meet would be a prick._

"My brother gave me a few pieces of advice after he graduated from here last year, and it just so happens you're in luck,"

He must see the look of confusion on my face, because he just laughs as he reaches in his bag to pull out a piece of paper.

'Student Housing, Room 412, _Finnick Odair and Peeta Mellark_'

"We're roommates! Congrats man, you're stuck with me for the rest of the year," he says smugly.

He starts to pull me in for a hug when I grit my teeth and reluctantly respond to his… friendly gesture.

"Yay," I say with a tight smile.

"Now let's head over to class and introduce you to the jackass, shall we?" I roll my eyes and groan as I follow my lovely roommate to my first class of the day.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

Finnick gladly pushes me through the sea of seats and up to the front of the class to introduce me to our professor.

As we approach Dr. Abernathy, Finnick startles him by tapping him on the shoulder, clearly not expecting to be approached by students before the lecture.

"Haymitch, this is my new roommate, Peeta-"

"Mellark," I interrupt as I go to shake my professor's hand with a smile.

"Hey Blondie, welcome to hell." I can see why Finnick doesn't like him. His appearance and mannerism come off as sloppy and uncaring. His hair is disheveled, his breath reeks of alcohol, his shirt is untucked, his grip during handshakes is loose, and he apparently prefers to come up with his own nicknames for students rather than the formal first/last name basis.

"Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Abernathy." I say politely as I start to walk away from him and towards my seat in the middle of the crowd. When I select a seat, I start to pull my notebook out of my bag and I don't even realize I've been shaking my head the entire time until someone brings it to my attention.

"What's up your ass today?" I turn my head slightly to glance at the girl sitting to my left and start to shake my head some more at her comment.

When I still don't respond, she decided to ask a follow-up question. "Do you just have some weird thing with your neck?"

At this, I just scoff and finish taking my things out. When I go to sit in my seat, I look at the rude girl next to me. She has a pink streak going down the middle of her neat ponytail, she's got her feet up on the desk in front of her, and she's contently smacking her gum loudly. Despite her unruly behavior, her outfit is comparable to mine, which makes her look somewhat serious about college.

I roll my eyes and respond, "Nice to meet you too."

She sits up a little further into her seat to completely face me and clasps her hands together. "What, you want proper introductions? Fine, smartass."

She holds her hand out, and I hesitantly take it.

"Johanna Mason. You're Finn's roommate?"

I nod. "Peeta Mellark."

"So? Are you going to answer my question? What's up your ass today?" She looks at me expectantly for an answer.

"Our professor's a prick, that's what's up." I start to shake my head again as I recall my interaction with him from just a few minutes ago.

She throws her head back in laughter and nods her head in understanding. "Ah, so you've already been annoyed by Haymitch. Somehow I'm not surprised." _There's the first name thing again. What is it with these people?_

"Do students here not call professors by their proper name? It's just that I noticed you and Finnick call Dr. Abernathy 'Haymitch' instead of his formal name." I ask inquisitively.

Johanna shrugged in response. "Nah that's just Finn and me. Haymitch taught both our brothers for the past four years, and they were some of his best students; they were on a first name basis by the time graduation rolled around a couple months ago, and now that they're gone, we're their replacements- thus, the reason why he lets us call him 'Haymitch'. Fascinating story, isn't it?" I nod my head in understanding.

I turn my attention back to the front of the class when Dr. Abernathy calls for everyone's attention. "Everyone reach under their seat. In doing so, your hand should find a piece of paper that's been taped to the bottom of your chair. There's your seat number and a name on that paper; your job for this first lecture is to find your partner and write down everything you remember from your math courses during high school." The room is silent as we wait for further instructions. "What the hell are you staring at me for? I just told you everything you need to do, point blank. Go!" Dr. Abernathy states, clearly frustrated.

As everyone jumps out of their seat and starts to yell out the name on their paper in attempt to find their partner, I realize I was too caught up glaring at my professor that I didn't even look at the name on my paper yet.

'Seat 815: Partner- _Katniss Everdeen_'

"Katniss," I say her name aloud. It rolls off the tip of my tongue smoothly and brings a smile to my face.

"Yes?" a voice responds. I turn around to look at her, and I'm pretty sure my mouth drops open. _This has to be a joke, right? Is this really my partner?_ I glance at my seat number to make sure it matches the one on the paper. When I see it does, I look back at her. Her neat, brown braid is slung over her left shoulder, her navy dress accentuates her curves and elongates her legs perfectly, and her intimidating, yet beautiful, grey eyes stare up at you through her long lashes. I said I wasn't going to fall for anyone here. I have to stay focused. When I make the mistake of looking back into her eyes, I know that's not going to happen. _Damn, I'm fucked._

When she awkwardly clears her throat, I realize I've been staring.

I chuckle nervously before responding, "I'm, uh, Peeta Mellark. Your name is on my paper, so I guess that means we're partners." _Real smooth, Peeta. Real smooth._

She smiles as she says, "Katniss Everdeen."

When I hold my hand out to shake her hand, I realize she has to adjust the books she's holding and transfer it over to her other hand. _Nice going. You're inconsiderate within the first two minutes of meeting someone._ As soon as our hands meet, I immediately feel sparks spread throughout my body starting from where our hands are touching.

She's the first to let go, but I swear I see her blush.

_Yep, I'm a goner._

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

Just a disclaimer: I don't own any characters or rights to The Hunger Games or UPenn.

Also, a big thank you to baobhansith23 for helping me with the title of this story :)

This is my first fic, and I hope you thought it was somewhat decent ahaha :) I'll update at least once or twice a month for now. Please review, follow, or fav as you please.

Thanks for reading! I'm hutcheverlark on tumblr :)


	2. Chapter 2 - Katniss' POV

**Chapter Notes**

I was really pleased with the responses I got from my first chapter, so I decided to upload the second a little earlier for you! I just wanted to clarify that the reason Peeta hadn't met Finnick yet is because he had just arrived at the University the day before the fic starts. Also, for this chapter, I decided to change to Katniss' POV, and it will be her speaking from the beginning of the day, but the chapter will go further than the end of my first chapter, don't worry. And yes, I realize this fic is rated M; the smut will come into play the next chapter, but there won't be anything too heavy until they officially get together which won't be for another few chapters.

Big thank you to Hall.1630 and baobhansith23!

Please continue to fav/review/follow the story/me, it really helps, and it motivates me to write faster too so I might put up the next chapter sooner :)

* * *

**Wednesday - August 27, 2014 (continued)**

Some idiot has been knocking on my door for the past five minutes non-stop, and I need whoever it is to shut the hell up. I rub my eyes and start to sit up in my bed when I look at my alarm clock – 5:17 A.M. I fall back onto my bed and groan while I resist the urge to throw open the door and kill whoever has the nerve to wake me up this early. Annoyed, I start to kick the bed above me in attempt to wake up my roommate.

After a few minutes of receiving no response from her, I yell, "Johanna, get the fucking door!"

Suddenly, I see a softball bat fly across the room from the top bunk, and it makes a dent in our door. Our visitor seems unfazed by this abrupt gesture because the knocking still continues. Frustrated, I swing my legs off the side of my bed and walk to the door. When I throw the door open, I start to yell at the asshole outside our door, "What the fuck do you want from us at five in the morning?"

He walks past me, welcoming himself into our room, and ignoring my question. I'm about to slap the back of his head for doing so when he turns to face me and asks, "Where's Johanna?"

At this, I shove past him, climb onto the top bunk, and shout, "JO! The idiot's here for YOU!"

After she rubs her eyes and sits up to see who it is, she pushes me out of her way as she frantically jumps out of bed and into the man's arms. I stare at them in shock at the way they start pulling at each other's clothes as they shove their tongues into each other's mouth. "Jo, come on; get a fucking room- a PRIVATE room."

I make my way back down to my bed, turn on my side, and shove the pillow against my face to try to block out the noises of the no-longer sexually deprived couple.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

4 hours and 27 minutes of sleep. Between my preparation for today's lecture, which required staying up late, and the lovely wake up call from Jo's boyfriend at 5 in the morning, I slept a total of 4 hours and 27 minutes on the night before the first day of college. This is precisely why I have my head buried between my arms on my desk with my eyes closed at 8:40 while I wait for my professor to start the lecture.

I feel someone tapping my shoulder as I start to doze off. I let out a frustrated sigh, and turn my head to face the person. I blink my eyes a few times to clear my vision and see a pair of blue eyes staring at me.

"Hey, Katniss! I just wanted to wake you before Dr. Abernathy starts giving directions," I met Madge at the orientation last week. She's blonde with clear, blue eyes and an overly perky personality. I sit up in my desk with a groan and nod of appreciation in Madge's direction while I direct my gaze toward the front of the room to look at my professor. I see Jo's boyfriend speaking to him alongside a boy with neatly groomed blonde curls resting atop his head. I ignore the warm feeling I get when I look at him, and I instead focus my attention on my professor, waiting for him to start my first lecture of college.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

As instructed, I pull out the piece of paper from under my desk and see my seat number and an unknown name staring back at me.

'Seat 711: Partner- _Peeta Mellark_'

As I stand up from my seat and grab my things to hold them in my right hand, I try to spot Johanna and Madge within the crowd of people frantically searching for their partners. _This is such a stupid system_, I think to myself. _Why couldn't Dr. Abernathy provide a picture next to the name or something so we'd have an idea of who to look for?_ I shake my head at the thought. I look down at the paper again to re-read my partner's name: _Peeta Mellark_.

I move from my spot in the room and squeeze past people in attempt to find Jo, Madge, and Peeta, whatever he looks like. As I do so, I mentally go through everything I've learned from my algebra classes during high school, as per Dr. Abernathy's instructions. _Exponents, radicals, polynomials, quadratics, parabolas, variab-_

"Katniss," My thoughts are interrupted when I hear an unfamiliar voice say my name.

"Yes?" I say in response as I try to locate which body the voice belongs to. When I whip my head around, I come face to face with the boy that I recognize as the blond head of curls that was standing next to Jo's boyfriend earlier. _Damn, he's hot. _His tousled blond curls are neatly groomed back, his jaw is perfectly defined, his eyes are an intensely bright shade of blue, and he has a stocky, muscular build.

When I'm done checking him out, I realize he's staring at me with such an intense look that I can't seem to place – maybe, desire? Whatever it may be, it's not a look I feel comfortable with, so I clear my throat to try to snap him out of it.

Once we get past the awkward introductions, he holds his hand out to shake mine, and I shift my things over to my other hand so I can take it. When our hands meet, I get that warm feeling that I felt before when I spotted him with Dr. Abernathy; this time, the feeling is coupled with sparks spreading throughout my body along with butterflies in my stomach - I think I actually start to blush. _What are you doing? _I mentally chastise myself. _Katniss Everdeen does __**not**__ blush._ I can't help but indulge in this feeling I'm experiencing as our hands meet, but then I remember the task at hand and reluctantly let go.

"So, do you want to head over to the library to start on the assignment?" I ask nervously.

"That sounds good," he replies with a smile displaying his perfectly straight, white teeth.

I smile and turn around to start heading toward the library when a hand on my shoulder stops me. _Shit, there go those sparks again_.

"Sorry, it's my first full day on campus, so do you, uh, happen to know the way?" he asks, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

I nod my head and resume walking in the direction I was headed in before he stopped me. As I exit the building with him following closely behind me, I suddenly feel self-conscious about what I look like from behind. _Come on Katniss, really? Why do you care? _I mentally chastise myself again for the ridiculous thought and shake my head slightly.

When we arrive, I lead us to the section of the library purely used for study purposes and sit at the end of the long table on the right side. I see him enter the room and turn around to close the door behind him. _Damn, his ass looks good in those pants._ I shake my head again to try and clear all of my inappropriate thoughts, but when I see him approaching me to sit in the chair to my left, that attempt fails miserably.

As we talk about everything we can remember from high school algebra – various formulas and equations for solving for variables, exponents, radicals, polynomials, graphs, linear/quadratic equations, parabolas, and functions – I notice him stealing glances at me out of the corner of my eye as I write everything down on paper.

_Is he interested in me?_ I shake my head at the absurd thought after looking at him again. _Sure, like __**he**__ could be interested in __**me**__. Be realistic, Katniss._

His voice brings me back to reality when he asks, "Can we meet at the bakery tomorrow to continue?"

I look down at the paper filled from top to bottom with equations, examples, and definitions; when I look back at him, he must see the confusion written on my face, because he holds up his phone to face me and explains, "I just got an email from Dr. Abernathy. We're supposed to create and solve a minimum of 300 various problems that cover all of the topics we listed on our paper by the end of the month."

I let out a loud sigh and bury my face in my palms. "I guess we have to," I say through gritted teeth.

"I mean, we could meet another day if you, uh, have a date with your boyfriend tomorrow," I pull my head out of my hands to look at him with wide eyes.

"No, I don't. I don't have a boyfriend," I hesitate a bit before adding, "and I don't plan on having one," His face visibly falls. _Is he… disappointed? M-maybe we could give it a shot._ Just as I'm contemplating what to do, I remember the last time I felt this way about someone- _who_ I felt this way with – and I remember why I haven't had a boyfriend since then. _No, I can't do this._

He looks back at me with those hopeful, cerulean blue eyes, and I start to regret what I said. "Okay, so we'll meet tomorrow then," he says with a small smile.

Before I can respond, he asks "Can I have your number so I can text you the address?"

I hand him my phone as he holds his out to me, and we exchange numbers before parting ways for lunch.

As I head out, I spot Madge sitting by herself at a table nearby.

I go up to her before saying "Hey! Do you want to grab something to eat?"

She looks surprised by the sudden friendly gesture after I groaned at her this morning, but she smiles and nods her head at me anyway. We head over to Au Bon Pain, order our food, and head back to campus to eat.

We're sitting at a table talking about our ridiculous assignment from Dr. Abernathy when I feel a hand on my lower back, and I cringe at the sound of a familiar voice whispering in my ear, "Hey, Catnip,"

I feel sick. I immediately stand up and start to cough as the bite of the croissant I was chewing before he interrupted me gets stuck in my throat. Once I spit it out, I turn around and glare at my ex.

"Gale? What the hell are you doing here? Last time I checked, you go to school on the opposite side of the state!" I haven't seen him for the past two years, and out of all the fucking days to choose from, he chooses to visit me on my first day of college _at_ my university?

He raises his arms to envelope me in a hug when I dodge him and shift myself to the side. "I miss you so much, Catnip."

My nostrils flare in anger at his comment. "Are you fucking kidding me? You tell me you miss me _now_ almost two years after you ripped my heart out?" I'm about to slap him when I feel someone hold my arms behind my back. I turn around to see who it is, ready to slap that person too, but I instantly calm when I see that it's Peeta.

He plants a kiss on my cheek as he holds my arms back to keep them from hitting Gale, and I start to feel that familiar warm sensation that seems to surface every time we touch. "Calm down, baby," he says as he goes to trail kisses down my neck. I usually scowl at this pet name, but hearing it come from Peeta's mouth somehow makes it seem cute.

I watch as Gale visibly tenses at Peeta's interruption, and he starts to walk away after shooting both of us a death glare.

I bite my lip, contemplating my next move as I'm left in Peeta's arms trying to understand what he just did.

I can't fall for him, I can't. There's too much at risk. I remind myself: do well, get good grades, and **don't** fall for anyone. But when I turn around to face him and start to feel the sparks spread throughout my body again from where he holds my arms, I realize I already have.

* * *

I'd love it if you guys tell me what you think in the reviews or by fav/following! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, I'm hutcheverlark on tumblr :)


	3. Chapter 3 - Peeta's POV

**AN: **Here's another one for you guys. Thank you so much for over 1,000 hits in just a few days! I made this chapter slightly longer; hope you like it and thanks for reading :)

* * *

**Saturday - August 30, 2014**

Three days. It's been three whole days since I've heard from Katniss Everdeen. It's been three days since I've heard her laugh, seen her smile, felt her touch – it's been three days since I saved her from that fucking asshole.

I remember seeing Katniss and Madge engaged in conversation, presumably a happy one judging from the smiles on their faces as their laughs echoed through the quiet campus. I remember watching them eat their lunch from a distance and smiling every time I heard Katniss laugh. I was in the middle of spreading ketchup on my burger when I heard the laughs replaced by coughing and yelling, and I looked up to see Katniss in an argument with a tall, brown haired man; as the yelling got increasingly louder, I took it upon myself to go over there and interrupt, just in time, might I add, because Katniss was about to slap the man. In the moment, all I could think of was to try to distance the man from her, so I kissed her cheek and trailed kisses down her throat after calling her 'baby'. In doing so, I accomplished three things - I felt her relax in my arms, the sparks I felt earlier return again as I hold her, and the man starts to walk away after sensing he's come to the wrong place at a _very_ wrong time. It was overall a win-win situation, right?

My heart aches as I finish reliving the last memory I have of Katniss Everdeen in my head. She has this effect on me that I don't understand. No matter what I do, everything in mind connects to Katniss in some way, and I can't stop thinking about her.

Now, I'm at a bar- alone and thinking about what I did to make her avoid me. She texted me later that night saying she couldn't make it to the bakery the next day, and she hasn't bothered to try a reschedule our next study session. All I was trying to do was protect her from that jackass by kissing her cheek. _Was that really too much?_

After a few minutes of contemplation, I come to the only logical conclusion as to why Katniss is avoiding me: _I went too far._

I shake my head at the thought and call the bartender over for a drink, "Can I get a rum and coke, please?"

She looks me up and down before asking, "May I see your ID?"

I roll my eyes as I pull out my wallet and hand her my fake ID. As she looks it over, I get a good look at her. She's blonde, mid-twenties maybe, with fake boobs and colored contacts. When she's satisfied that I'm legal, she hands it back to me and leans over the counter to give me a shot of her cleavage. I roll my eyes again at the gesture as I put my wallet away.

"I'll have that right up for you," she says before walking away.

I turn around in my stool and scan the room to try to familiarize myself with the place when I spot a familiar dark brown braid out of the corner of my eye.

_Oh shit._ _She's here._

She's sitting at a booth in a black dress with a pair of flats while wearing her signature scowl on her face as she toys with the end of her braid. Without thinking, I get off my stool and start to approach her just when the bartender returns with my drink.

"Thanks," I say before taking a big gulp and relishing the feeling of the burning sensation as the alcohol enters my system. _A little liquid courage always helps._

I pay my tab, not caring that I haven't finished my drink yet, and resume walking over to Katniss' booth. She's on her phone now, not paying attention to what's going on around her when I slide into the seat across from her. Her scowl disappears from her face when she looks at me.

"Hi," I try nervously.

"Hey," she responds with a slight smile.

I pause before asking my next question. _Here goes nothing, _"Can I, uh, buy you a drink?"

She glances down at her lap and hesitates before responding, "I'm actually waiting for someone, sorry,"

_Well, that fucking hurt like hell. _

My cheeks turn red from embarrassment as I mutter an apology and hastily make my way out of the bar. _You never had a shot with her, anyway, _I remind myself as I walk back to my dorm with the intention of crawling into bed and never coming out.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

**Monday – September 1, 2014**

Five days. It's been five fucking days since Katniss Everdeen started avoiding me, and I still can't get my mind off of her. After seeing her at the bar, the night got even better when I entered my dorm and walked in on Finn and Jo. _What a nice way to find out they're dating, _I thought to myself. I don't even know if they heard me come in. If they did, they certainly had no shame in continuing while another person was in the room. I shudder as I remember the horrific sight. The memory brings up another one as I recall my interaction with Jo last night.

I was dozing off at my desk around nine after studying for a Biology exam when I heard my textbook close abruptly in front of my face, jostling me awake. I blinked my eyes a few times before seeing Johanna pulling up a chair to sit next to me. As she put her feet up on my desk and popped a piece of gum in her mouth she asked, "What's up your ass today?"

I chuckled as I recalled our first conversation.

"Girl trouble?" I nodded and furrowed my eyebrows slightly in confusion.

"How did y-"

She interrupted me before answering, "Brainless is out of it too. She's been even more stubborn and cranky than usual these past few days."

With that, she stood up and walked away, leaving me in my chair wondering who she was referring to.

Now, it's seven in the morning. I rub my eyes and reluctantly pull myself out of bed as I mentally prepare myself for another day of thinking about someone I can't have.

Today is a semi-casual day as far as the dress code goes, so I opt for a black polo shirt and khakis. After getting dressed, I look at my schedule for today as I pull my shoes on. My eyes widen as I read my last class:

'_Algebra_, Dr. Abernathy, Room 125'

_Great,_ I think to myself.

I let out a loud sigh as I pull on my bag and head out the door.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

At lunch, I decide to go to Subway for a tuna sandwich and head back to campus to eat. As I'm walking by Huntsman Hall, I hear a familiar voice start to rise in volume and anger.

"Gale, I already told you. I found someone, and I-I really like him. I don't want to be with you anymore!" she yells.

I turn the corner to see Katniss sitting on a bench by Wharton with the same man that she had an argument with five days ago. The bags under her eyes are identical to mine, signifying she's barely gotten any sleep; her hands are raised in frustration, clearly trying to emphasize her point, and the action makes her tank top raise a little bit to expose her midriff. _Damn, she looks hot when she's pissed. _I quickly erase the thought as my heart breaks at her words, realizing she must be talking about the guy she met at the bar. Despite this fact, I can't pull eyes away from the scene to stop watching.

The man stands up to challenge her, "Yeah? You found someone? Where is he then? Why is he not here with you, huh? You've been here for less than a week; he probably just wants to fuck you, Katniss! You'll see - when he breaks your heart, you're going to come crawling back to me-"

I'm taken aback when she kicks him in the balls so hard that he instantly doubles over in pain and groans. _Mental note: Never piss off Katniss Everdeen._

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! Do you even realize what you're saying? You're basically describing yourself! I can't believe you have the fucking _nerve_ to come back here and say that shit to me. He's _nothing_ like you!" She starts to walk away with tears falling down her face when he recovers, limps over to her, and start pulling her back towards him.

I clench my jaw in anger as I see him continue to grab her, even as she starts to wrench her wrist from his grasp and asking him to let her go. _He's overstepped his bounds._

Katniss' eyes widen when she sees me approaching them. I pull her away from Gale, and position myself between the two of them. Gale smirks when he sees me.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Has Prince Charming come back to rescue the princess, yet aga-" He doesn't get to finish his thought before my fist connects with his jaw. I hear Katniss let out a gasp of surprise at my actions. He stumbles back a bit before he swings his arm out in my direction to punch me, but I'm fast enough to dodge it. I get a few more punches in before Katniss yells, "Stop!" I pause to look at her, and he uses this as his opportunity to punch my jaw. Katniss reaches up to cradle my jaw in her hand, and I wince at the pain.

She turns her attention back to Gale for a moment before shouting, "Fuck you, Gale!"

I move away from her once more to approach him. I come close enough to feel him breathing on my face, and I clench my fists at my sides to keep myself from punching him again.

"Touch her again, and I will _gladly_ kill you."

I walk back to Katniss without giving him the chance to respond. Just as he's about to approach both of us again, the security guards on campus arrive and start to drag him back down Locust Walk as he shrugs and yells, "Sorry I messed up his face, Catnip!"

When he's out of sight, she turns her attention back to me and asks, "Are you okay? You didn't have to do that."

I shrug in response as she continues to examine my injury. I look at the time and realize the only class we have left is Algebra, so I offer, "Can we go over to my dorm? I think I need some ice on this." She bites her lip and thinks about what I just said before nodding and accepting my offer. I smirk when I realize that Katniss came to help me instead of Gale, and all I'm thinking about as we walk over to my dorm is, _damn, it feels good to feel those sparks again._

thgthgthgthgthgthg

My jaw really fucking hurts, but I still find myself slightly grinning as I stare at Katniss. She's walking toward me with a wet rag and a look on her face that I can't quite place; to be honest, being around her again after the time we spent apart is causing me lose focus with the five senses.

It's like being around her has caused me to become completely unhinged. She's like a drug, and I'm like a morphine-addicted freak - I can't help it. The way she moves, the way she talks - it causes me to spin with no way of stopping.

I guess part of me is still trying to understand why she's standing here within five feet of me, when she clearly explained to Gale she has eyes for the guy she met at the bar. She avoided me for the past five days, and, in effect, flat out denied any sort of affection toward me during the process.

However, all of these thoughts fly out of my head as she presses the cold rag to my face. Her lip is between her teeth as she stares at her hand against my jaw. I know the rag is cold, but the knowledge of her palm almost touching my skin sets my body on fire. As she runs the rag over my jaw, I feel bursts of heat erupt on my skin in a bomb like pattern, exploding everywhere.

It seems like forever that she holds the rag to my face, but slowly or quickly, I can't tell, she drops her hand and focuses her eyes from my jaw to my eyes, and lastly, to my lips. I'm a hundred percent certain I stop breathing.

I should say something before anything happens, but I can't. The words die out on my tongue without a sound. I let out a small breath as I watch her watching me. Her chest is rising in her tiny tank top, and her breathing is ragged and harsh - or is that mine?

The strange frozen state I'm in ends as soon as her lips touch mine. They send a strong volt straight toward my toes. If I felt like I was on fire before, I'm definitely burning now.

Even though it kills me, I pull away from her quickly. Her eyes are closed for a few more seconds before she opens them and realizes I've pulled back. She looks horrified. She hastily gets up, grabs her things, and starts to open the door to leave when I slam it shut and stop her. She avoids eye contact with me when I raise my forearm over her head to lean my weight against the door, effectively trapping her, and look at her intensely. "I know you don't want this, Katniss. I get it- you like the guy from your date. I'm happy for you."

She looks at me with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before turning her head and glancing at the wall behind me. Her gray eyes flick up to meet mine for a second, and she averts my gaze again when they widen a bit as she realizes I'm talking about her conversation with Gale. "Peeta…"

The way she says my name warms my insides in a way that I wish I hated, but I don't. Hearing Katniss Everdeen talk to me this directly causes me to spin in a whirlwind type deal. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_ _Why does she have this effect on me? I just met her a few days ago._

"I-I-" Her lip is back between her teeth, and she rolls her eyes slightly at herself before glancing back at me directly. Her cheeks are red, and I wonder if mine are as well. "I wasn't talking about the guy from the date, Peeta. He didn't even show up." She must see the confusion written on my face as I stare at her, my eyes asking her to continue. "After you left the bar, it gave me some time to think. I realized everything in my life has a shitty way of panning out, and I just - I didn't think we could work," She pauses and pulls tightly on her braid. "That I could work with you."

"What does that even mean?" I blurt out. The pain in my jaw is barely recognizable to the harsh beating going on inside my chest.

"I'm not like you, okay? I just - you're you, and I'm..."

She doesn't finish her thought but remains standing before me. I stare at her, and I mean really full on stare at her, not like I had before in class or even during our study sessions. I study the curve of her jaw, the small part of her lips, the small scar above her eyebrow. I take all of it in. I take all of _her_ in.

I don't think twice before I close the small gap between us. I grasp her head between my hands, and I kiss her hard on the mouth. It takes her a few seconds before she responds to me. I faintly hear her drop the rag, but I don't focus on that. I focus on the feeling of her breasts pressed up against my chest, her hands weaving into my hair.

I focus on the moan making its way out of her mouth because of _me_.

I kiss her harder and nip at her bottom lip until she opens her mouth to me. I sigh and press myself tighter against her. She tastes like coffee and something else I can't quite place, but it's intoxicating all on its own.

She moans again, and I can feel my dick twitch at the sound my own mouth swallows. If I wasn't a goner for her before, I sure as fucking hell am now.

I tilt her head up toward my own and continue to explore her mouth with my tongue. She's moaning, and I can't help but roll my hips into hers. She makes a deeper sound, so I do it again, and again, and again.

I don't think about what happened outside with that prick she was with, or the fact that she had been ignoring me all week. All I think about is the fact that I'm kissing Katniss Everdeen, and it feels so fucking good.

I slowly pull away from her mouth and watch her as I roll my hips once again into hers. Her head tilts back slightly, and the moan that escapes her mouth sounds better than a hundred songbirds.

I lean in and kiss her lightly on the lips before pulling away again. Both of us are heaving, and I can't tell who is breathing harder, but I guess it doesn't really matter. We kissed. We are really within one foot of one another. She's really pressed up against the door of my room. This is real. She's real, and I'm here with her.

I'm here, looking at her, and she is so beautiful.

* * *

**AN: **Before you say anything, the campus here is a lot more secure than that. This is a fanfic after all, though! Also, HUGE thank you to baobhansith23! I hope you all liked it, and please review and follow! It means so much, and it helps motivate me to write faster for you guys :) Thanks again for reading! I'm hutcheverlark on tumblr :)


	4. Chapter 4 - Katniss' POV

**AN:** I'm really pleased with the response this story has been getting - I got over 1,000 additional hits and 30 follows from the last chapter alone! Unfortunately, starting tomorrow I'll be away on vacation for a couple weeks before school starts, so even though I have the next two chapters written and ready to post, I won't be able to do my weekly update… _UNLESS, I hit 80 follows and you guys post some more reviews by next Monday, then I promise I'll post the next chapter immediately_ :) aha I need some motivation to know people are reading/following the story!

I can't thank you enough, baobhansith23, for everything! You guys should seriously go check out her stories, Begin Again, Cosmic Love, and Secrets of Love. They're amazing!

As always, thank you all for reading; without further ado, I present chapter four! Hope you like it.

* * *

**Monday – September 8, 2014**

It's been a week since Peeta and I kissed, and things have somewhat gone back to normal between us. There's no avoiding each other anymore and we engage in short, easygoing conversations, but there's a _lot_ of sexual tension. During class today, there were wandering hands and longing stares as we tried to listen to our professor give the lecture. It's been like that for the past week - Every. Single. Day. Unfortunately, due to the academic rigor of our university, there's been so much work assigned already within the first week that we haven't been able to see each other except during class. We couldn't even plan a make-up study session. However, all of that is about to change.

I decide to climb into bed after I finish the required reading for my Chemistry lab, but after thirty minutes with my eyes closed, I still can't fall asleep. I reach over to turn on the lamp at my bedside table and grab my phone. I'm debating on whether or not to text Peeta to try and arrange for us to meet up at his dorm again this week, but I have second thoughts when I see the time reads 1 A.M. _He probably won't be awake._ I do it anyway.

_Today 1:03 A.M._

_Katniss: Hey :)_

His response is almost immediate.

_Peeta: Hey yourself! :)_

My eyes widen as I realize I haven't really thought through how I'm going to ask him.

_Katniss: Do you want to continue our project at your place sometime this week?_

_Peeta: That sounds good. How about this Wednesday? We have Algebra first period, but we can meet up for lunch and go from there._

_Katniss: Ok, see you then :)_

I press the power button on my phone to lock my screen, and I place it on my bedside table for it to charge. When I'm settled back in my bed, I realize I have a smile on my face. _Why are you smiling, Katniss? _I quickly turn it into a scowl as I yawn and adjust my pillow to my liking. As I turn on my side to rest, I think about how there's only 48 hours until I get to see Peeta again, and my smile quickly returns as I close my eyes.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

**Tuesday – September 9, 2014**

I'm startled awake by the sound of a blaring alarm going off above me. I jump out of bed, climb up to the top bunk, and slap Jo awake.

She sits up so quickly that I almost fall off her bunk.

"What the fuck?" she yells as she sees me on top of her.

"What, you don't like it? Well, next time don't set your alarm for-" I look at my watch to check the time, "- fucking four in the morning! What the fuck is your problem?"

I watch as her head hits the pillow behind her again and groans as she falls back asleep. _I may as well do some more last minute studying while I'm up._

I head over to my desk and plop down in my chair before opening up my notes and reviewing everything for my lab today. Once I'm confident I know the material, I look at the clock – 5:30. _Might as well go for a run before class. _I throw my hair up into a high ponytail and put on leggings, a sports bra, and a loose tank top. I'm heading out the door when I yell, "Jo, I'm heading out for a run," and her response is to throw her softball bat at the door which misses me by a couple inches. "Bitch," I mutter under my breath as I put my earphones in and jog downstairs.

I exit the building and stop to think about my course for this morning; I start running and decide I'll run the perimeter of the campus six times. _That should kill enough time, right? _After going around the campus twice, I stop to go back upstairs and get some water. I'm turning the knob to open the door when it swings open and a giddy looking Jo in nothing but a t-shirt comes sprinting out.

"Where the fuck are you going dressed like that at six in the morning?" I yell after her.

"Boyfriend, Brainless! You should get one sometime!" I roll my eyes at her comment and walk into my room to grab a water bottle.

After quenching my thirst, I put my earphones back in and resume my run around the campus. I go for another five minutes when I hear a faint noise near me and I lower the volume on my phone to listen to what it is.

"Katniss!" I slow my pace slightly as I turn around to see who it is.

_Oh, God._

I come to a complete stop and press pause on my phone to stop the music before returning my attention to the sweaty blond man standing in front of me.

Peeta Mellark – sweaty, shirtless, and fucking _hot._

Peeta is in nothing but sneakers and basketball shorts which are slung low on his waist, allowing me to see the v of his hips. My eyes are following the blond trail of hair on his stomach just above his shorts when his voice snaps me out of my trance.

"Good morning," he says, breathless from running. He puts his hands on his knees and lowers his head slightly to look at the ground in attempt to try and catch his breath.

I give him a few seconds to do so before responding, "Morning."

He looks up at me and chuckles before standing up straight again to stretch his arms over his head. The movement makes the muscles in his torso and arms flex, and I'm mesmerized by his body yet again.

"What are you doing up this early? Better yet, what are you doing up this early _and_ running around campus? Class starts in -" he pauses to check his watch, mimicking my action from earlier with Johanna, "- an hour and a half."

I see him watch me as I take a swig of water before responding, "I could ask you the same thing." I grin and say, "My roommate set her alarm for four, and I couldn't go back to sleep. I tried studying, but I got bored eventually so I decided to come out here."

He nods and gives me his award-winning smile before laughing. "My roommate had a booty call. As soon as the noises started, I pretty much ran out the door to get away."

We both laugh at his response, and I can't help but pay attention to the butterflies that start to form in my stomach as a result of his infectious laugh. I watch as he puts his hands in his pockets at his sides before he starts speaking again.

"So, you ready for the lab today? I'm kind of excited to see our professor again," he says.

"Yeah, I guess. And you mean Professor Trinket?" I ask while slightly chuckling as I remember the first time we met her.

Peeta clears his throat and pretends to curtsy before imitating our professor, "Welcome, welcome and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

I almost double over in laughter at Peeta's spot-on impression. While I'm trying to catch my breath, I make the mistake of looking at him, only to see him cracking up at his own impression too; this just causes me to continue laughing and we eventually end up falling on the ground.

When we finally catch our breath, I take in our disheveled appearances. We're both flushed red from laughing so hard, and we're sweaty from the morning run. He stands up first and smoothes his clothes out with his hand before offering me a hand to help me up.

"Thanks," I say, blushing slightly as I feel the sparks return once again.

When I look up, I see his eyes focused on my torso and chest. I scowl at him and glance down, only to see my sports bra revealing more cleavage than intended and a gap between the bottom of my shirt and the top of my leggings which reveals my midriff.

Feeling brave, I reach down and pull my top off completely leaving me in only a sports bra and leggings. I sigh at the relief and fan myself with my hand before I check the time on my watch and say, "It's 7:30, I gotta go take a shower. I'll see you in class."

As I walk away, I take one last glance at Peeta and see him standing in the same exact spot I left him with his mouth agape and his shorts slightly tented.

_Mission accomplished._

thgthgthgthgthgthg

I'm in nothing but a towel while I'm drying my hair when I hear the door open and in walks Jo with her boyfriend. I scoff at the sight of them sucking each other's face – again – and throw my empty water bottle at her.

"We have class in fifteen minutes, Jo!" I sigh as I walk past them and into my closet to get my clothes for the day.

"A lot can be done in fifteen minutes, Brainless," she responds before grabbing her boyfriend's face and pulling it back to hers to proceed with their earlier activities.

I roll my eyes and walk into the bathroom as I hear the sounds begin to pick up again. After putting on my cardigan, tank top, and skirt, I head out of the bathroom and grab my bag. I'm closing my bag and about to open the door when I look up and see Jo pressed against it.

"JO! GET OFF THE FUCKING DOOR. You may not care about getting to the lab on time, but I sure as hell do!" She groans in response and drags her boyfriend by his collar over to her bunk.

I pull out my schedule once I get out of the building to find out where the lab is being held.

'_Chemistry_, Professor Trinket, Cret Wing'

I grin when I read the location because the lab is only a couple blocks away from here. As I make my way over, I think about my interaction with Peeta this morning. _Was that too forward of me?_

I shake my head at the thought as I open the door to my lab and scan the room. The lab is almost completely full and everyone is sitting down, ready with lab coats, safety goggles, and gloves. I take my phone out of my pocket to check the time – 7:58 A.M. _Nice, Katniss. Cutting it real close on your first lab of the year._ I mentally chastise myself for being so careless about the time.

As I walk through the aisle, I realize there are only two seats left: one in the front next to an arrogant-looking blonde guy, and one in the last row. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion when I don't see Peeta right away, but a scowl quickly appears on my face when I see him sitting next to a blonde girl with her hand on his thigh.

_That settles it. _I opt for the seat next to the blonde guy, which just so happens to be at the table right next to Peeta's. As I place my bag down by the foot of the table, I quickly run over to the other side of the room to grab the necessary tools for the lab. When I return to my stool next to the blonde man, I make a point of introducing myself, louder than usual.

"Hi," I say while I thrust my hand out towards him, "I'm Katniss,"

He smiles and takes my hand before saying, "Cato,"

I nod and smile in return before turning my attention to the front of the room. The door opens, and in walks a woman covered in fluorescent, ostentatious colors from head to toe. The click-clack of her heels echoes throughout the eerily silent room before she stands front and center and clasps her hands together.

"Welcome, welcome, class! I hope you've all prepared for today's lab! The person you are sitting next to will be your partner for the day. You have one hour to complete the handout in front of you. May the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

I grin and turn my head to the left to look at Cato. "You ready?"

"Sure as hell am!" he responds before proceeding to flip through the handout.

Throughout the period as Cato blatantly flirts with me, I smirk at the fact that Peeta is glaring daggers at Cato.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

When I'm standing outside my dorm room later that night, I look up and silently pray that Jo isn't with her boyfriend. As I turn the knob, I'm relieved to find Jo standing in front of the mirror putting on earrings – alone.

She stops what she's doing when she sees me enter the dorm in the reflection of the mirror and shouts, "Brainless!"

She runs over to me and grabs my bag while she starts tearing my clothes off. I wriggle out of her grasp and adjust whatever clothes I have left on before yelling, "What the fuck, Jo?"

She rolls her eyes and begins trying to grab at my clothes, "You're coming to the party tonight with me."

I bite my lip in hesitation before responding, "I- I don't have anything to wear. Plus, it's a school night! What kind of fucking party are you going to?"

She pulls a dress out of her closet and throws it to me, "One that my boyfriend is attending, therefore I will too. _You, _on the other hand, need to find one. Now get changed!"

_Oh, what the hell. _I reach down to pull my skirt off and slip into the very form-fitting dress Jo threw at me. Once I'm finished, she pushes me into a chair and rolls me over to the mirror before she starts splattering my face with makeup and doing my hair.

In forty-five minutes, she hands me a pair of heels that I slip on before she instructs me to stand up. I straighten out my dress and look up when I see her staring at me.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"Relax, I'm just admiring my before and after piece of art." I scoff at her comment before she responds, "No, seriously! Look in the mirror." I reluctantly turn around in my five-inch heels to look at myself.

When I do, I can't recognize the person I see in the mirror. My hair is out of its usual braid, instead flowing in smooth curls slightly past my chest, my light eyeliner and mascara are designed to complement my gray eyes, the black dress she gave me, although form-fitting, accentuates my curves perfectly and ends mid-thigh, the heels elongate my legs, and the entire outfit is topped off with a beige clutch.

She comes up behind me to put her head on my shoulder before whispering in my ear, "You're welcome," and tugs my hand as she leads us out the door.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

When we arrive, I'm immediately surrounded by blasting music, sweaty bodies, and the reeking smell of alcohol. Johanna pulls me over to the center of the room before wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. I shake my head at the gesture before tapping her shoulder.

She turns around and looks at me expectantly, "You know, with the amount of times I've seen you kissing your boyfriend, don't you think it'd be appropriate to –I don't know- introduce us?"

I'm taken aback when I feel someone else's presence enter the conversation. "I could say the same to you, Finn." He gestures with his hand to Jo before saying, "Mind introducing me? Oh wait, never mind, I already know you guys are dating." He states before looking at me, "Wanna know how I found out?" He doesn't give me a chance to respond before continuing, "I found out by walking in on you two fucking, that's how."

Johanna laughs at his presence before smiling and saying, "Oh, this is too damn good." She points to me before saying, "Brainless, this is Finnick Odair, my boyfriend."

I cringe as he takes my hand and kisses the back of it. Peeta doesn't seem too keen on the sight, either. "Pleasure to meet you, Katniss."

Finnick points to Jo before introducing her, "Peeta, this is my girlfriend, Johanna."

Jo laughs before continuing to introduce us, "We've met. Blondie here was just being a smart-ass because he's pissed he walked in on us. Besides, Loverboy and Brainless here are lovebirds."

Peeta and I both fiercely blush at the insinuation, but my blush turns into a scowl and his blush turns into a glare when Cato drags me to the dance floor.

"Hey, Catpiss," his breath reeks of alcohol and it's clear he's had more than a few drinks.

"It's _Katniss_, you asshole," I sneer before turning to walk away from him. He's stronger than me and grabs me again to lead me to a dark part of the room before pressing me up against the wall.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" He pushes all of my hair over to one shoulder to give himself access to the other. As his hand starts to wander down towards the hem of my dress, I raise my knee up to kick him in his balls; he quickly catches on and holds my legs down with his arm.

"Now, now. We don't want anyone getting hurt, do we?" I start to scream for help before he covers my mouth with his free hand and starts to attack my exposed skin with his mouth. I feel his hand on my thigh before his weight is pulled completely off of me.

I try to make out the figure holding Cato against the wall in the dim lighting. With no success, I start to run away from the scene, but the familiar voice stops me in my tracks.

"You leave her alone, you understand me? Touch her again, and I swear to god, you'll regret ever coming to this school and meeting anyone." Peeta growls.

I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down, and slightly tug on his shirt. "Hey, it's okay. He's not worth it, let's go."

When he turns around to look at me, I see his pupils have turned a dark shade of blue, and his chest is rising and falling from breathing so heavily. He finally lets go of the hold he has on Cato and starts to walk away, grabbing my hand to take me with him.

As he leads me out of the room, I keep asking myself the same question over and over again.

_What the hell just happened?_

thgthgthgthgthgthg

When we arrive at Peeta's old apartment above our local bakery, he lets go of my hand and I immediately find myself missing the feel of his warmth. Silently, I watch as Peeta flickers on the light. His movements are graceful, however, his footing is loud, harsh, and uneven. All of which are what understandable, but confusing coming from the boy I've grown to know so well over the past couple of weeks. I continue to watch him as he walks over to the other side of the room and starts to tug at the roots of his hair while he sits down and bows his head in frustration.

His breathing is loud, and I can tell he wants to say something but just doesn't know how to word it - which is weird since Peeta is basically a walking dictionary.

I don't know what scares me more, quiet Peeta or outgoing Peeta. Both cause me to feel things I've never felt before.

I think about the look in his eyes after he saw me pushed up against the wall by Cato - his dark blue eyes, clenched jaw, his hands in fists. He stared at Cato as if he was some mutt who was after me.

I realize I don't like quiet Peeta.

I want to say something, but I can't. Mostly because words are hard for me to come by, and mostly because I'm so confused by what I'm feeling that trying to conjure up words is out of the question. I hesitate for a moment before I look at him, and I mean really look at him. He overwhelms all of my senses. I ache to touch him, hear him, see him, taste him.

He looks at me like I'm something rare, when in reality, I'm just plain old Katniss Everdeen. However, Peeta Mellark doesn't seem to think so. Peeta Mellark makes me feel this hope and longing I've never felt before. If I ever lose him, I will never be the same.

Just as I'm about to crouch down to meet his gaze, he stands up all of a sudden and start walking towards me. His gaze meets mine, and I immediately start walking backwards.

I gasp when he suddenly gets close to me - his face mere inches away from mine, the feel of his breath on my face, his eyes glued on mine. I want to breathe him in and never breathe out. The feeling confuses me.

"I-I" I open my mouth to speak, but look in his eyes is so intense that it takes my breath away.

When I feel my back hit his kitchen counter, he places his hands on either side of my body on the counter.

He leans in, but instead of kissing me where I want him most, he kisses my ear, then slowly, ever so slowly, trails kisses down my neck. My eyes close, and I feel like I'm losing control. I feel like I'm losing myself within this wonderful man before me.

_But he's such a fucking tease. _He kisses up my jaw, onto my cheek, at the corner of my mouth, and then right where I want him most. The kiss is slow, as if we're waiting for the other to pull away, but we don't. He kisses me slowly and coaxes my mouth open as he begins sliding his tongue in so it dances with my own.

My knees go weak.

I want more. So much more.

I move my hands from my side toward his chest. His heart is being rapidly, and I'm almost positive it matches my own. I slide my hands down to grab his, and I position his hand underneath my dress. He moans into my mouth appreciatively when he finds out I'm not wearing anything underneath, and I bring his fingers further up to slide through my slick folds. When I take my hands out from underneath my dress to reach his belt, his mouth goes slack. I force my eyes open and watch Peeta pull away slightly. He's silent for a few moments before he grabs my hands with his own, carefully placing them on his chest, and away from his belt.

I am horrified.

He must notice my face, because his eyes grow wide and his face comes up with a sad smile. I want to run. I want to -. "Katniss, listen to me," I stare at him. "I want to..." He looks at the ground between us for a few moments before stepping a few more inches away. _Oh god. I messed this up. I mess everything up. _He brings his hand slowly up toward my face. His knuckles brushing against my cheek. "I want to do this right. I want this to mean something."

I stay silent.

"I don't want this to be a one time thing. I want this to be – I want,"

I watch as Peeta struggles for words. I start to bring my hand up to caress his jaw and tell him it's okay, but his next words stop me in my tracks.

"I want _you_, Katniss. Go out with me, on a date."

His words are so sweet that they come into my ears like a soft melody. But then my eyes become glossy with unshed tears as I flashback to when words like that were said to me. The empty promises, the broken heart I had. I suddenly want to be nowhere near this apartment.

I need to go.

I stare at him and notice that I've voiced my thoughts aloud. I swallow the taste of bile in my mouth and glance at him. When I see his sad blue eyes, the tears start to fall. He brings his hand up to my face and wipes a from my cheek with his thumb.

I shake my head at him as I slowly lower his hand away from me, mimicking his movements from earlier, "I- I'm sorry."

I run away from the apartment and away from Peeta Mellark.

* * *

**AN**: Now we all know how Katniss can be very capricious! Don't hate me :)

I hope you liked it! Please continue to follow, review, and favorite; let's see how close we can get to 100 follows within a week and then maybe I'll do my weekly update on Monday even while I'm away! (I think it's worth it, the next chapter is quite important :)) But, as I said in the AN at the beginning of the chapter, once I get to 80 follows I'll post it immediately! Thanks again for reading, I'm hutcheverlark on tumblr :)


	5. Chapter 5 - Peeta's POV

**AN: **I apologize for the delay in update. You can expect a more frequent update (every couple of weeks) or maybe sooner if I get good responses from this chapter :)

As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to follow and review! Hope you enjoy :)

* * *

**Friday – September 12, 2014**

I groan as I wake up to the familiar sound of moaning underneath me for the fourth day in a row. I try to block out the sounds with the pillow I have pressed against my face, but when the chorus of 'fucks' and 'yeahs' start, I can't take it anymore.

I sit up in my bed and yell at Finn, "Can you two _please_ go fuck in Jo's room? Just once?"

I receive several grunts and more 'ohhhs' in response.

_Fuck this._

I grab my phone, climb down the side of the bed, and sprint out the door, not bothering to put on a shirt before going outside.

I squint and instinctively put a hand up to shield my face as I'm temporarily blinded by the sun shining directly at me. I blink a few times to clear my vision before taking my phone out to check the time – 7:50 A.M.

_Good thing I only have one class today._

That's before I realize exactly which class that is – the only course I'm taking that actually requires we go to every single fucking lecture - Algebra.

I haven't seen Katniss in three days, and the thought of seeing her again today brings a slight smile to my face. _She'll have to talk to me, right? We're partners for god's sake. _

She's been avoiding me ever since she walked out on Tuesday night. I reminisce in memories of our previous interactions as I make my way through various hallways and staircases to get back to my dorm and get ready for the day.

I hesitantly knock on my door and call out, "Finn, Jo, you decent?"

I hear laughter just before I receive a response, "Yeah you prude, we're decent."

The door swings open just as I'm turning the knob and I shield my eyes from the sight of Finn and Jo naked and ready in front of me.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" I yell as I hastily run to grab an outfit from my closet and into the bathroom to change.

After slipping on my navy button down, black jeans, and converse, I open the door to find the two of them exactly how they were when I left them.

"Don't you guys have class with me today?" I ask as I make my way to the door.

"Yeah, but no. We're not going today."

I roll my eyes and scoff at the response as I slip on my backpack and close the door, leading me out of the dorm and back into the real world.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

I see a yellow slip of paper land on my desk out of the corner of my eye as I'm writing down what Dr. Abernathy just explained about upcoming assignments in my notebook.

'We need to talk.' the post-it states.

I look to my left and my eyes widen as I see a familiar head with a dark braid slip into the originally empty seat to my left.

I click the end of my pen and write out a response, 'Meet me at my apartment after class.'

I watch as her eyes scan the paper before her beautiful grey eyes flick over to meet my gaze and she slowly nods her head.

I offer a slight smile before clicking the end of my pen again and leaning down to continue what I was writing before her arrival.

_Damn, what was I going to write again?_

thgthgthgthgthgthg

I sprint over to the bakery and run up to my apartment in attempt to get the place ready before Katniss comes over. I fumble with my key in the lock and I almost trip when the door unexpectedly opens on its own after several failed tries.

I shut the door and turn on the light before sliding newspapers off my coffee table and throwing my dirty clothes into the hamper. That's when I hear the knock.

I straighten out my shirt and give myself a once-over before opening the door. I'm pretty sure my mouth literally falls open at the sight of her. _Holy shit._

She's changed out of her pencil skirt and button down, the outfit she wore to class today, and into skinny jeans that hug all her curves the right way and a tight tank top that emphasize the swell of her breasts. Her face is clear of makeup and her hair is down in its natural waves, yet she's the most gorgeous person I've ever seen. She's perfect unintentionally, without trying the slightest bit. I think I'm –

She awkwardly clears her throat and my thoughts are interrupted as I realize I've been staring for far too long.

"I'm sorry, please come in." _Really? This isn't a fucking date._

She blushes and nods before entering and taking a seat on the sofa.

"Do you want anything to drink?" I ask as I walk over to the fridge.

"Just water is fine, thank you."

I pour us two glasses, and I take the opportunity to adjust my slightly tented jeans while I'm behind the counter. As I make my way back over to her, I see her sitting cross-legged with her hands clasped together on top of her knees as she waits for me to return with the water. _She's so fucking beautiful._

Katniss says a quiet thank you before she downs the entire glass of water in one sitting.

"It's, uh, pretty hot today – good that you're staying hydrated." I offer.

She nods in agreement and chuckles. "Yeah, I guess so."

She wipes her hands on her jeans and bites her lip. She looks like she's thinking about what to say, so I stay silent.

"I'm sorry for running out the other day." She says in a rush.

That's definitely not what I was expecting.

I pause before tentatively asking, "Why did you?"

She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.

A few more moments pass before she finally says, "I- I need to tell you something."

I slowly nod in response and move to put my half-empty cup of water back on my coffee table. I fold my hands in my lap and nod again, motioning for her to begin as I prepare myself for the worst-case scenario. _She's gonna turn me down, isn't she? 'You're not good enough for me, Peeta. We should stick to being-'_

"I haven't exactly had the most, uh, normal experiences with relationships. Gale-"

_Well, fuck._

I watch her expression change as she visibly cringes at his name and starts to struggle for words.

"-he used to be my best friend. Then freshman year of high school, he said he had feelings for me and that he wanted to start dating, so I said why not? Just as I was starting to get comfortable with the idea of dating, he started putting a particular emphasis on the physical aspect of our relationship. I was fine with where we were in our relationship at that point, and I didn't want to take it any further yet. I hadn't convinced myself yet that what we had was true love, so I never wanted to take the next step. But then he started complaining that I wouldn't have sex with him, and he threatened to dump me."

Tears start falling down her cheeks and I move to comfort her, but she puts her hand up to stop me.

"I caved and agreed because I was scared of losing my best friend altogether. I forced myself to believe that I loved him, so we finally took the next step. The next thing I knew was I woke up the next morning alone with a note on my bedside table saying 'It's been fun, Catnip.' and I never heard from him again, not until a few days ago when he showed up on campus out of nowhere."

I'm completely dumbfounded.

"So yeah, that's my story. Wonderful, isn't it?"

I watch as she sniffles and chuckles nervously.

I'm staring again. Though this is nothing new, I find myself staring at her in a whole new way. I guess I never noticed her shaking palms, or the way she only bites the left side of her bottom lip when she's nervous, or that when she speaks of something that has upset her she looks toward the ground.

She's looking at the ground and I can see her playing with her fingernails again, another nervous habit I've noticed.

The slight pain in my jaw doesn't bother me anymore, but the fact that the same person that caused me to wear a shiner for a week or so has hurt this haunting beautiful creature before me, physically causes me to ache.

I can't look at her.

It hurts because I'm so - I'm so angry. I feel the blood start rushing through my veins before I force myself to take deep breaths to calm myself down. I put my right hand over my left, and I look down and feel my knuckles, wishing I could have hurt that stupid son of a bitch more than I had.

Katniss is nothing like what I expected. She's soft, gentle, shy and strong. I'm not sure she knows that. She is so unlike anyone I have ever met.

"I'm gonna go."

I quickly shift my gaze onto her. I study her again - I always seem to breathe her in all at once. I focus on her face and sigh. I run my hand frustratingly through my hair and feel every angry nerve within me strike up at once. "Sorry, I guess I - I haven't made myself look too good here." I keep studying her face - she doesn't move, she doesn't mutter a word. I pull on my hair in frustration again. "I just fucking _hate_ that guy." She gasps so softly that if I wasn't so in-tune with her, I might have missed it. "I should have hit him harder."

"Peeta." She sighs and casts her eyes downward for a brief second before raising them up to meet my own. "It's fin-."

"Don't say it's fucking fine." I hiss out only to realize my harsh tone isn't helping this situation at all. "I'm sorry, it's just - it's not fine. I hate all the pain he's caused you."

I play her words over in my head. The way he played her like she was some game. No wonder she has so many commitment issues. This isn't to say I don't either, but this fucker played a real fucking number on this - this perfect girl.

She's tugging on her loose strands of hair, lost in thought, and I find my hands itching to weave themselves through her hair.

I don't know how much time has passed, but it feels like hours when I'm sure it's only been minutes. I want her to talk to me. I want to know what's going on in her beautiful head. I want to feel her skin with my hands, my lips, my tongue.

I stare at her. "…Katniss?"

She focuses her attention on me within a second's notice. She shakes her head slightly before she blurts out that she's only ever been with Gale. After her submission, her eyes go wide and her lips part in a small 'o' shape.

I shift and walk over to the other couch before seating myself beside her, closing the distance between us. "It's okay." She narrows her eyes at me, but I only smirk at her - the fire I've witnessed before is starting to ignite. "It doesn't matter to me - in fact I'd rather know that I've punched the one guy you've slept with than look for more."

She smiles, but only briefly. "Yeah but you've probably been with a lot of girls." Her tone is sharp and annoyed, unknowingly so. Her eyes get that wide expression again when she realizes what she's said aloud.

I feel so pissed off. Not at her, never at her, but at this fucking idiot that made her feel like she was nothing. This girl before me is so out of my league, and she doesn't even notice it. She doesn't notice the way I stare at her whenever she's in a room or the way I become completely consumed whenever she's as close to me as she is now.

I let out a breath and bring my hands through my hair, tugging on it softly in my own frustration. "I've been with two girls, Katniss."

She looks shocked and she falls back into herself as she starts tugging on the ends of her hair again. Her bottom lip is fully between her teeth and I want nothing more than to soothe it with my own.

Minutes go by again. "Katniss?" She only stares at me in utter fascination, like she can't believe I'm even real. I move closer to her, but not close enough.

"I won't - I hope I never hurt you like Gale has. God, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you."

More minutes go by, but before I can utter another helpless speech, she closes the distance between us. She jumps up and wraps her arms around me kissing me hard on the mouth. She's moving so fast that I can barely keep up.

But once I do, I bring my hands behind her head and into her silk like hair. I slow down our kiss by a landslide, but the feelings I have are only multiplying at the feeling of her against me like this.

I nip at her bottom lip, then at the top like she's a book of poetry. I slide my hands from behind her head and toward her back.

She shakes a bit under my touch, but she grips me harder.

She runs her fingers over my still-bruised jaw before moving them up toward my hair. She pulls on my curls and I groan.

She's everywhere and I'm everywhere in-between.

I pull away from her lips, noting the redness of them from my own, and start to trail my lips down her neck. Her hands tighten in my hair and I know her lips have parted in that fascination 'o' form again.

It's like we're addicted to another. That the pure act of being separated would cause us physical pain.

"God, Katniss." I mumble into her skin as I swipe my tongue over the places I gently nipped at. "I want you so fucking bad."

I do. I want her more than I have ever wanted a single thing in my whole life.

I slide my hands up and down her back a few more times before I lower them toward her jeans. I hook two fingers into her belt loops and pull on them gently as I pull her even tighter against me.

I pull away from her neck and stare at her as I start to lower my hands, never taking my eyes off her. It's like a silent question and I want to fucking sing when she nods her head.

I keep my eyes on her as I completely cover the place I want to touch most. The denim there is a bit rough, but all I can think about is letting her feel good. Letting her _feel_ in general.

She moans and I fucking lose it.

I rub a bit harder and watch her face as she moans. Her eyes are closing and the look of pure satisfaction is making its way onto her face. The sight is one that I can't get over - one that I don't _want_ to get over. I rub her even harder and she moans loudly as she grasps my upper arm. "Oh fuck."

I groan and drop my head into her neck. I press open mouth kisses underneath her jaw and after a few more seconds she falls apart because of me.

Because of my hand. Because of my mouth.

I wait for her to stop shaking, and then ever so slowly, I drop my hand. I press a few more kisses to her neck before I pull away and stare at her.

"Peeta, I-"


	6. Chapter 6 - Katniss' POV

**AN: **Once again, thank you all for reading! I am still blown away by the response this story has gotten considering it's my first story on here. So, with college getting in the way of things, I haven't been able to write as frequently. I'll post chapter 7 when I get 105 follows though; we're almost there! Plus, the next chapter carries a lot of importance as far as plot line goes in this story. As always, reviews and follows are very much appreciated :)

* * *

**Frida****y - September 12, 2014 (continued)**

"Peeta I-"

I start to step away from him, keeping my eyes locked on his the entire time. I turn so my back faces towards him, thinking it will be easier to walk away, but I can't resist the urge I have to look back once more. I risk a glance at him over my shoulder, but right as I get the chance to look into his now dark blue eyes, he averts his gaze to the floor.

_Fuck._

I release a sigh before taking heavy steps towards the door, finding it much harder to leave now that I know his reaction. Just as I'm five feet away from the exit, I hear loud footsteps approaching behind me right before I feel a hand on my shoulder turning me around.

I tense as he drops his hand before looking directly into my eyes.

"No, you don't get to run away again." His voice is gravelly and deep and _sexy_, goddamnit. He starts walking towards me and I find myself moving back, encompassing us in a coordinated rhythm.

"Peeta-"

The lustful gaze in his nearly black eyes makes me lose my train of thought. We continue moving in a coordinated rhythm, he moves forward as I move back, until I find my palms pressed flat against the door on either side of me. He keeps walking toward me, his intention of closing the gap between us made clear as he stands directly in front of me, so close that I can feel his breath on my face.

"Peet-"

He starts to nuzzle his face in my neck before murmuring, "Tell me to stop,"

I feel him peppering kisses on my neck, and I subconsciously tilt my head back until it hits the door to give him better access. "Tell me you don't want this,"

His words snap me out of my trance, and I lightly push my hands against his chest to create more space between us.

"I'm sorry," I manage to get out before turning the knob and closing the door to his apartment behind me.

I take a few steps toward the elevator before stopping in my tracks and walking back to his apartment. I consider knocking on his door, kissing him and telling him the truth – that I really _do_ want him.

That's before the elevator pings and the doors open to reveal the same blonde who was sitting next to Peeta in Chemistry. She's dressed in a revealing strapless top and skintight jeans, and I tell myself to look away as I hear the click-clack of her heels coming toward me.

"Hi, is Peeta here? I just wanted to come by on the slight chance that he was free to work on the post-lab questions we were assigned. It's due tomorrow,"

I grit my teeth and manage to form a smile before saying, "Yeah, yeah of course. He's right inside."

I walk away from his apartment for the second time today as I hear her knocking on his door.

_This is for his own good; he could do so much better._ _No one needs a girl with baggage._

I keep telling myself that as I walk into the elevator, as I walk away from Peeta, as I watch the blonde lunge herself at him just before the elevator doors close, and just before the tears begin to fall.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

**Frida****y – September 26, 2014**

"Hurry up Brainless!"

I've unfortunately made the mistake of letting Jo convince me to join her at a party tonight, and I'm paying for that wrong sense of judgment right now. I'm in enough of a bad mood as it is even without this added stress of getting ready. I stopped by the bakery, Mellark's Bakery, this afternoon since I couldn't ignore the craving I've been having for a few weeks for cheese buns. I crossed my fingers and hoped Peeta wouldn't be there, but of course with my luck, he was the only one on duty. It was awkward enough seeing him at the counter, but it increased as soon as he saw me walk in and went to the back to switch shifts with his brother.

I sigh as I recall my shitty day, and I go back to continue listening to Jo rant about how much of a pain I am to dress.

"Shut the fuck up Jo,"

I'm trying my hardest to not let my anger get the best of me and throw my dress out the window like my inner conscious is begging me to.

As soon as I walked into our dorm, she threw an outfit at me that I accepted and immediately went to put it on. I did so unknowingly, because if I had known she intended to dress me like a stripper, I would've walked out then and there.

I walk outside in my inappropriate attire and join Jo in hailing a cab to the party.

"Where are we going?" I ask, realizing she never actually told me who's throwing the party or where it is.

"Darius' place. It's not too far." I nod in response.

When I don't speak up after a few moments of silence, she continues speaking.

"He asked me to bring you."

She must see the look of surprise on my face, because she starts explaining.

"What, you think I brought you along willingly? Nah, he said you guys have Global together and he'll probably make a move tonight. Just a heads up." She winks in suggestion, but I shudder at the thought.

_Definitely not. _

**Frida****y – October 3, 2014**

It's been a while since I've spoken to him. To be exact it's been three weeks, 504 hours, and 30,204 minutes since I've spoken to Peeta Mellark – but who's counting? It's 4:05, the exact time I walked into the elevator and left him behind.

I click the lock button on the top of my phone and put it back in the pocket of my handbag as I sigh and return to working on our math project - alone. I think about that day three weeks ago, how it could have been different, how _we_ could be different right now.

_What if I said yes? Would it have been that bad? Would he just be another version of Gale? Can I really learn to trust him? What would we have beco-_

My thoughts are interrupted as my bag vibrates. I pull open the top handle and reach into the left pocket to retrieve my phone.

_Peeta:_ _We need to talk. _1 min. ago

My phone buzzes again just seconds later.

_Peeta: Meet me at your dorm in 15 minutes. Don't bother trying to say no. _1 min. ago

I scoff at his second text, lock my screen, and put my phone next to my notebook.

'Don't bother trying to say no.' What the fuck?

I make it a point of taking extra long to finish up working; in fact, I don't stop until my eyes strain looking at the page filled with functions and variables. _If he really wants to talk, he'll wait._

5:00. A little later than I expected, but not bad. _Mission accomplished either way._

I gather my things and head out the door, not caring that I'm unprepared to see Peeta Mellark again for the first time in three weeks.

thgthgthgthgthgthg

As I trudge up the stairs to my dorm, I replay the last few weeks in my head. The constant worries, stressful nights, the increased amount of nightmares – all because of what? That's when I realize the cause and effect the last few weeks of being without Peeta Mellark has had on me.

And it fucking _sucks_.

My thoughts trail off as I reach the last flight of stairs. I take a deep breath in, and exhale.

_Here goes nothing._

I turn the corner and find Peeta crouched down in front of my door, head in his hands as his fingers tug at the roots of his hair.

I twirl a loose strand of hair around my finger and bite my lip as I think about what to say; it's obvious he's deep in thought, and he won't notice my arrival until I say something.

I shift my weight from my left to right foot and clear my throat awkwardly, "Ahem,"

He seems startled by the sudden noise as his eyes lock on mine and starts to stand up.

He's wearing a fitting black t-shirt and jeans that sling low on his hips. _Damn, has he gotten hotter? _Just when I think my anger is about to fade, he looks at me with such intensity and anger, and my temper flares up again. He looks away, but I watch as he rubs his palms on his jeans before tucking his hands into his front pockets and sighing. He locks eyes with mine again and he motions with his hand for me to start talking.

_He's joking right?_

After a few moments of silence, he finally speaks up. "Well?"

I scoff and cross my arms over my middle protectively, "Are you kidding me? You're the one who told me to meet you here. And seeing as you're blocking the entrance to where I sleep every night, I really have no choice."

He clasps his hands together before chuckling in disbelief and positions them in front of his groin before speaking, "So you have absolutely nothing you want to say to me first?"

I scowl and push past him as I unlock my door. Once I'm inside, I swing the door shut behind me, but I hear it close softly before I hear footsteps following behind me.

I turn around and narrow my eyes at him, "Who said you were invited in here?"

He smirks at me before saying, "You did, when you showed up just as I asked. In doing so, you agreed that we needed to talk."

I just shake my head and chuckle in a humorously sarcastic manner before responding, "Yeah, that was before that cocky-ass response you gave me outside. If you want to talk, then talk. If not, get out."

I surprise myself with my response. That came out a lot stronger than expected.

"Oh don't worry, I have lots to say. I think you should say something first, though."

I glare at him as I start walking closer, moving him backwards toward the door with my every word, "Who the fuck do you think you are, talking to me like that? You've got a lot of fucking nerve. You want me to say something? Fine, I'll ask you a question – how'd your make-out session with Glimmer go?"

His eyes go wide just before his face falls. "Katniss, it's not-"

"It's not what, Peeta? It's not what it looks like? You seemed pretty fucking enthusiastic to see her, swinging the door open before you two sucked face! And on top of all that-"

"If it bothers you that much then why the hell do you keep running away, huh?"

His response shocks me into silence, and I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. I start to slowly shrink back further into the room as I turn my back to him and start walking away, desperate to get as far away from him as possible.

I hear him chuckle before he says the worst thing he can possibly say, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

I clench my fists at my side and turn around, scowling at him before I slap him so hard that my hand and his cheek are the same shade of bright red.

I watch him hold his cheek in his left hand as his face scrunches up in pain. I smirk at the sight before I say in the lowest, strongest manner I can, "Fuck you."

I turn on my heel and start walking away before I feel a hand on my left forearm tugging me back. I turn back around so quickly that I whip my hair in his face, but I'm so far beyond caring at this point. His grip doesn't loosen even though it's evident that I'm trying to get out of his grasp.

"Let go."

"No. Not until we talk. You promised me that much." Hah. He's so funny.

"Oh we talked. We talked, and during that conversation you managed to prove to me how wrong I was about you. You expect _me_ to apologize to _you_? You don't own me, alright? I don't need your texts _demanding_ that I meet you someplace. I don't need your persuasive words that make me want to like you even more, despite the fact that you already have such a hold on me – these past few weeks without any communication between us have been hell. So you want an answer to why I keep running away? I run because I know what you'll do if I allow myself to let you in. You'll act like you give a fuck about me, keep me around for a couple months, and then when you get bored you'll leave and tear my heart out of my chest."

I feel the tears spilling down my cheeks, but I continue speaking as I slowly start to shake my head and back away, "I refuse to make that same mistake again. I refuse to be with another _Gale_."

I gain enough courage to force myself to look up at his face – his mouth is slightly ajar and his eyes are filled with a blank, stoic expression. _Great._ His grip has loosened throughout my rant, so I tug my arm out of his grasp and hastily make my way into the bathroom. I brace myself on the counter and look at myself, blotchy-face and red eyes, and think about what just happened within the last thirty minutes.

_It's for the best. He's no good for me, anyway._

* * *

**AN: **The sooner I get to 105 follows, the sooner you find out what happens between Peeta and Katniss when I post the next chapter!

I'm hutcheverlark on tumblr (following me might give me more motivation to write faster too) A little self-promotion never hurts :) Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


End file.
